1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bag holding devices and more specifically it relates to a litter bag hanger for supporting a conventional plastic bag in an open position within a vehicle.
Often times while operating a vehicle such as an automobile or tractor, the use will accumulate a significant amount of trash. The user generally will attempt to position the trash in a single location within the vehicle, however the trash will generally move about the entire vehicle during travel of the vehicle. Sometimes the user will have a plastic bag positioned within the vehicle. However, the user must attempt to simultaneously support the bag in an open position while inserting the trash into the bag. This is not only inconvenient but also extremely dangerous to the driver and others. Hence, there is a need for a device that supports a conventional plastic bag within a vehicle for allowing easy insertion of garbage by an individual.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bag supporting devices have been in use for years. Typically, a plastic bag supporting device comprises a base and a pair of arms extending upwardly therefrom as commonly found in grocery stores. These bag supporting devices are suitable for utilization in spacious areas, however they are not as desirable for utilization in smaller areas such as an automobile.
Examples of other bag supporting devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,103 to Breitenstein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,702 to Olmos; U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,149 to Koch; U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,051 to Surbeck; U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,533 to Fickes et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,504 to Bittenbinder; U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,190 to Swirkal; U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,153 to Lu which are all illustrative of such prior art.
Bittenbinder (U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,504) discloses a bag-holding article. Bittenbinder teaches a base member attachable to a vertically-orientated flat surface and two bag-supporting arms extending at opposing ends of the base member for supporting a bag having at least two loops.
Koch (U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,149) discloses a plastic bag support. Koch teaches a plastic strip having outwardly projecting ears for hooking over a trash container.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for supporting a conventional plastic bag in an open position within a vehicle. Conventional bag support devices are not capable of being utilized within small areas such as on a vehicle.
In these respects, the litter bag hanger according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of supporting a conventional plastic bag in an open position within a vehicle.